According to reports, the Phoenix Suns are looking to trade their center, Deandre Ayton, during the upcoming offseason. Ayton is reportedly open to the idea of moving to another team. However, he clarified that he loves Phoenix and will continue playing hard for the Suns.
The Suns are said to be aggressively exploring a trade for Ayton. Despite being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Ayton has not been dominant, and his recent struggles in the playoffs have been a cause for concern.
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Deandre Ayton's Solid Regular Season Numbers
During the Suns' second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Ayton had difficulty handling Nikola Jokić on the defensive end.
He also did not play in the team's season-ending loss to the Nuggets due to a rib injury. After losing the first two games of the series, Suns coach Monty Williams turned to Jock Landale over Ayton late in Game 3, and the move paid off as the Suns won that game.
Ayton played in the remaining games of the series but was largely a non-factor, while Jokić had an outstanding series.
Despite Ayton's solid regular-season numbers, the Suns hesitated to sign him to a maximum contract extension last offseason, which led to him signing a restricted free-agent offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers.
The Suns ultimately matched the contract to keep Ayton in Phoenix, but it seems they are now ready to move on and surround their superstar players with a new supporting cast.
If the Suns trade Ayton, the Dallas Mavericks are believed to be a team that may have some interest in him. The Mavs missed the playoffs this season despite acquiring Kyrie Irving to play alongside Luka Doncic, so they could be aggressive in pursuing a former No. 1 overall pick like Ayton, who could provide a strong interior complement to Doncic's perimeter play.
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